A dump vehicle, for example an articulated dump truck (ADT), comprises a power head section and a load-carrying section. The power head section includes a front frame coupled to a vehicle engine, an operator cab and a front wheel axle. The load-carrying section includes a rear frame coupled to a dump body and at least one rear wheel axle. In an ADT, the rear frame is coupled to the front frame by an articulation joint allowing the power head and load-carrying sections to pivot from left to right relative to each other, and by an oscillation joint allowing the power head and load-carrying sections to rotate in relation to one another about an imaginary axis extending longitudinally through the vehicle. The articulation and oscillation joints enable the power head and load-carrying sections to move substantially independently of one another.
For a vehicle that has articulation and oscillation joints coupling a power head section of the vehicle to a load carrying section of the vehicle, the power head section may have a tendency to want to roll over when the front wheels lift off the ground. Although the load-carrying frame may roll over relative to the power head section because of an unbalanced load in a dump body, the power head section is unlikely to roll over relative to the load-carrying section under normal conditions. However if a sticky load is stuck in the dump body, the possibility exists for the center of gravity of the payload to shift behind a pivot axis of the dump vehicle, which could result in the front wheels being lifted off the ground. This is more likely to happen when the machine is dumping a load down an incline. When this happens, the power head section could flip over, or fall on its side. This can be dangerous for the operator, and can result in vehicle damage.
It would be desirable to have a system and method for preventing power head rollovers or providing a warning of potential power head rollovers when a dump vehicle is performing a dumping operation.